Evening Standard, London

Friday, 12.05.2000

Rock band that can only play in the USSR

RUSSIAN rock band Blasts are on their way home to Moscow today after their dreams of hitting the big time in Britain were shat tered by immigration officials at Heathrow. The group — the first Russians ever to sign up with a British label - were held for seven hours at the airport and banned from performing when they flew in for their first UK tour to promote their debut single. Bury The Shoe Girl.

Today, singer Nash Tavkelidze sadly packed his guitar case away and caught an Aeroflot plane back home without playing a single note — the victim of a bureaucratic bungle that has put paid to their hopes of making music history as the first Russians to have a hit record in the West — at least for now.

The blunder has left the group $14,000 out of pocket. They have now had to delay the single's release and are hoping to rearrange their tour for later in the summer.

The problems began as soon as frontman Nash — the godson of former Russian premier Yevgeny Primakov — arrived at Heathrow with bass guitarist Sergey Polyakov. Both were questioned by immigration officials about the purpose of their visit.

Nash was held for seven hours before being allowed into Britain only on condition that he did not perform. But, bizarrely, Polyakov, who had an identical visa, was given the go-ahead by a different immigration officer to enter the country and perform.

When the other half of the band, Alexandr Parusinov and Alexandr Yarchevski, arrived on a later flight, they too were held for six hours and met the same fate as their singer.

Nash, 29, was introduced to rock music as a child through a Beatles video his godfather brought back from a state visit to the West. He said today: "I was kept waiting in a room at the airport for seven hours and they would not even allow me a phone call. This is a democratic country but they made me feel more like a criminal than a rock star and they kept my
passport when they finally let me go."

He added: "I feel sad and disappointed because we were really looking forward to the tour. We were completely honest about why we were coming to Britain. We have already been here twice without any problems and when we renewed our visas at the British embassy in Moscow we told them we were coming for a promotional tour, but that we would not be
making any money from it."

Blast's hopes of international success began last summer when they were spotted at their debut UK gig at a tiny London club, following an article in the Standard. They soon signed a deal with independent label Ghost Records.

They had hoped this tour would win them a following in Britain. They had even invited the Russian ambassador to a London date, although he had to decline because he was being presented to the Queen on the same night.

What makes the decision to ban them from performing most puzzling is that Blast were allowed into Britain to play the debut date that led to their signing last July, and again in January of this year to record their single with former Stone Roses producer Mark Tolle at Manchester's HQ. Studios.

AN ANGRY Tolle said today: "The only people losing out financially here are the British. If Blast cannot afford to return to support a second single a host of British businesses will lose out including mine, Ghost Records, HQ Studios, the CD pressing plant, the plugger, the PR company, Travelodge, Easyjet and Practical Van hire.

"We have been met with tedious technicalities and a complete unwillingness to realise what it would mean financially to all concerned."

A Home Office spokesman said: "On the basis of the information provided to the British embassy in Moscow a work permit was not deemed necessary. However, on their arrival in the UK, it became clear Blast would be performing in front of an audience, for which a work permit is required."

The group are adamant they were told they would not need work permits because they would not be making money from the tour, "It was costing them close to $14,000 to play these dates to promote the single," explained their publicist Roland
Hyams. "But that's the way the music business works."